Punk Football | Blog

06/03/2024
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EURO 2024: 100 Days To Go!

We’re just 100 days away from the next major International tournament! In the men’s game, with Covid pushing the previous Euros back a year and the last World Cup being held in the winter, it’s still taken to some getting used to that these tournaments have been happening every year-and-a-half (or so), but here comes the next one – Euro 2024 is just 100 days away, marking the first men’s tournament that’s taking place at a more traditional time since the 2018 World Cup! Last time out, to celebrate the... Read More

04/03/2024
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Leicester City: Not Quite Running Away With It…

After 32 games, Leicester had a 12 point-lead over then 2nd place Southampton in the Championship. They’d made a sizable gap at the top with the expectation it wouldn’t be too much longer until we were declaring the Foxes the champions, with an immediate return to the Premier League. Just three games later however, that 12 point-lead has been whittled down to just 3 behind early title challengers Ipswich Town as the Foxes have lost three games in-a-row – turning the Championship on its head. All of a sudden, what... Read More

29/02/2024
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Everton’s Point Deduction Appeal: Are They Out Of Trouble?

Earlier this week, Everton saw their 10 point deduction for a breach of the Profit & Sustainability Rules reduced down to 6, meaning the club jumped from 17th in the Premier League (with 21 points) up to 15th (with 25 points). With that being said, does it mean the club can breathe a bit more safely now? In reality… no. Earlier in the season you could’ve argued Everton’s performances would’ve seen them safe even if the full 10 points had stood. The club prior to the deduction were actually around... Read More

26/02/2024
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Stan Bowles: 1948-2024

Over the weekend we learned of the sad passing of footballing icon Stan Bowles at the age of 75. Born on Christmas Eve of 1948, Bowles would go on to play for 8 different teams in his senior career, but most famously for Queens Park Rangers, for whom he played over 250 games. He started off in 1967 with Manchester City, where over 17 appearances he scored twice. He then played for Bury, Crewe Alexandra and Carlisle United between 1970-72 before moving to QPR. Considered by QPR’s fans as the... Read More

22/02/2024
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Premier League Title Fight: The Closest In Years

We’re heading into the final stretch of this year’s Premier League, and it’s still looking incredibly close at the top. After last night’s 4-1 win over Luton, Liverpool currently see themselves 4 points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City, and a further point ahead of Arsenal. However, the current leaders have played one game more – so it is possible to see those gaps close to just 1 and 2 points respectively. Since the formation of the Premier League in 1992, there have been three seasons in which the top... Read More

20/02/2024
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A Trio Of Departures: Managerial Changes In One Day

Yesterday saw not one, not two, but three clubs change their manager – all for different reasons. The most high profile was at Crystal Palace – in fact, just mere hours before their 1-1 draw with Everton, it was announced that Roy Hodgson would step down as manager of the club. Last week had seen rumours of Hodgson potentially being sacked for recent results – after yesterday’s game they find themselves in 15th place, just 5 points above relegation – however that same day he was taken to the hospital... Read More

15/02/2024
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Goals Galore: Mansfield vs. Harrogate

It’s not often you can talk about an eleven-goal thriller in football, but that’s exactly what happened in League Two this past Tuesday. In a quite simply absurd match, Mansfield somehow managed to take a incredible 9-2 victory over Harrogate – but look in to the story further and it becomes even more incredible. Yes, Mansfield are in the chase for the League Two title – with them winning and leaders Stockport losing, the gap at the top closed to just one point. Harrogate, however, are most certainly not in... Read More

12/02/2024
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Champions League: Man City & Arsenal Back In Action

It’s time for the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Last 16 First Legs start tomorrow, with defending champions Manchester City taking on FC Copenhagen while the only other English club left in the tournament, Arsenal, are away to FC Porto on Wednesday evening. Both clubs topped their groups earlier in the tournament, with Man City proving very consistent – not only winning all six games, but scoring three goals in all of them to boot. Arsenal did pick up a draw and a loss in their group but... Read More

09/02/2024
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Seeing… Blue? Football’s Blue Card Trial

If yellow and red wasn’t enough, could we possibly be seeing a new card in the future? It’s expected to be announced today that the lawmakers of football (Ifab) are going to trial a blue card in games, which would see players receiving it sent to a “sin-bin” for 10 minutes – similar to how it works in rugby. Due to the media attention surrounding this news, many have made an assumption this may be trialed in top divisions such as the Premier League – however, this isn’t expected to... Read More

08/02/2024
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Chelsea: A Turnaround, Or A One-Off?

Last night’s FA Cup replay certainly didn’t follow the script most of us had expected. So far this season Aston Villa have been the pleasant surprise, hanging in near the top of the Premier league table (currently sitting 4th and just 5 points off leaders Liverpool), whereas Chelsea – one of the perceived Big Six – have struggled down in 11th and a full 20 points off the top, which followed a season where they were (only for a very short period and still very unlikely situation of) being in... Read More